Stretching rack



R. F. BIRD STRE'I'GHING RACK Jan. 4, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 20, 1963 R O m VD mm B F Y O R ATTORNEY Jan. 4, 1966 R. F. BIRD 3,226,861

STRETCHING RACK Filed Aug. 20, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

' ROY F. BIRD gzi owwzf/az ATTORNEY United States Patent ()fice 3,226,861 Patented Jan. 4, 1966 scribed in detail hereinafter.

3,226,861 STRETCHING RACK Roy F. Bird, 10052 Blooniington Ave.,

Bloomington, Calif. Filed Aug. 20, 1963,Ser. No. 303,230 4 Claims. (Cl. 38-10231) This invention relates to a stretching frame or rack for stretching various materials such as rugs,cloth material or canvasses on which portraits are to be painted. The

invention may also be used for stretching needlecraft work or for stretching any other comparable or similar work.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a simplified, but extremely effective and economical stretching rack for the purposes stated and furthermore, one that is capable of stretching the material in two directions that are normal to each other. The material may be stretched in both directions simultaneously, if desired.

Another object is to facilitate and make easy and simple the placing of the material on the rack and the execution of the stretching operations.

Another object is to provide means embodied in the stretching rack for holding the material which means are automatically movable to accommodate to the stretching of the material in both directions without wrinkling or binding. In other words, the material is stretched smooth, evenly and taut, the realization of this result in the operation being one of the objects of the invention.

A preferred exemplary form of the invention is de- The manner in which the above objects are achieved in the preferred embodiment will be apparent from the detailed description and annexed drawings. Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description and drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspectiveview of a preferred form of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a detail view of one of the corner bracket assemblies used;

FIGURE 3 is a detail view of one of the corner brackets showing pawl and ratchet holding means;

FIGURE 4 is a detail view partly in section of an end part of one of the tubular holding and stretching means;

FIGURE 5 is a plan view partly broken away of the form of the invention shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURES 6 and 7 are longitudinal sectional views of I the rack illustrating its operation.

Referring to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, this figure shows an exemplary preferred form of the invention wherein it takes the form of a rectangular frame or rack made of wooden side members 10 and 11 and wooden end members 12 and 13. These members are attached together into a rectangular structure as shown by means of nails or dowel pins or in any other suitable manner. The material to be stretched is placed over this frame or rack and is held and stretched as will be described.

For holding and stretching the material, there are provided adjacent the upper edges of the side members 10 and 11, tubular holding means as designated at 16 and 18. These tubular means may byway of example be alurninum tubes or pipes of perhaps A3" external diameter and /8 internal diameter. Each has a longitudinal slot as designated at 19 in the tubular member 16, the slot not being visible in the tubular member 18. The tubular member 16 is rotatable about its axis and the tubular member 18 is fixed.

The tubular member 16 is rotatably mounted at its ends in end brackets, as designated at 22, and 23, which are supported at corners of the rack or frame. FIGURE 2 shows the corner bracket 22 in detail. It is of integral construction comprising two wings 25 and 26 having open- .ings 27- and 28, these wings extending at right angles to each other so as to be adapted to fit into a corner of the frame in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 5. The

bracket is held in place by bolts 30 and 31 extending "tubular member 16. This lug extends in a plane parallel to that of the wing 26. The bracket 22 has another extending lug 37 extending at right angles to the lug 34 and having anopening 40 in which is received the end of one of the tubular holding members at the ends of the rack.

These tubular holding members are identified by the numerals 42 and 44. They are positioned just above the end members 12 and 13 and extend parallel to the end merribers. They are of the same construction as the side tubular holding means or members 16 and 18. The lug 37 of bracket 22 receives the end of the tubular holding means 42 in opening 40 and the member42 is non-rotatably held therein by means of a setscrew 47 which may be turned by means of an Allen head wrench or the like. Extendirig from the lug 37 parallel to the lug 34 is a steel spring bracket 50 the end of which is turned down as shown at 51 so that it forms a pawl. This bracket may be attached to the lug 37 by rivets or the like as shown at '52. The pawl 50 cooperates with a gear or cogwheel '54 secured to the end of the tubular member 16. The gear or cogwheel 54 has a short extending integral shaft 55 which is inserted into the end of the tubular member 16, as shown in FIGURE 4, and is welded therein. On the other side of the gear or cogwheel 54 is a square projection 56 of a size to be received in a socket in an operating crank 57, as shown in FIGURE 1. The crank 57 may be fitted onto the projection 56 for turning the tubular member 16 for a purpose as will be described presently. The tubular member 16 may be restrained from rotation by means of the pawl 50-51 engaging the teeth of the gear or cogwheel 54, as shown in FIGURE 3.

The corner bracket 23 is similar in all respects to the bracket 22 and, therefore, will not be described in detail. The end tubular member 44 may be turned by a crank such as the crank 57 in the same manner as the tubular member 16 is turned.

Corner brackets are provided at the other two corners of the frame or rack as designated at 60 and 61, these brackets being the same in all respects as the brackets 22 and 23 except that they are not equipped with means for manually turning the tubular members supported thereby.

. this purpose. The bracket 61 has an additional setscrew 65 corresponding to the setscrew 47 for restraining turning movement of the tubular member 42.

All of the tubular members 16, 1-8, 42 and 44 are equipped with holding means or members for holding the material to be stretched and these members are movable or slidable to accommodate the stretch of the material in both directions. The details of the holding members are shown in FIGURE 4. The holding members comprise plugs, as designated at 70 which slidably fit within the bores of the tubular members as illustrated in FIGURE 4. These plugs may be made of wood or other suitable material and they have extending from them metal pins, as designated at 71 which protrude outwardly through the elongated slots as shown in FIGURE 4. These plugs are fairly closely spaced, as for example in a tubular member or pipe 40 inches long there would be approximately 30 plugs with pins to hold the material. These plugs may be one inch in length, for example. The slots such as shown at 19 may be just Wide enough to accommodate the pins 3 71. As will be observed, all of the tubular members 16, 18, 42 and 44 are similarly equipped with the sliding holding means in the form of the sliding plugs 70 and pins 71.

From the foregoing the manner of use of the stretching rack or frame will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The material to be stretched is placed over the frame with edge parts secured of held by the pins 71 in the sliding holding members 70 within the tubular members at the sides and ends, as described. The tubular members 18 and 42 are in the position as shown in FIGURES l, 5, 6 and 7, and do not rotate, being held by their respective setscrews. FIGURES 6 and 7 illustrate the operation of the rack in stretching material in the longitudinal direction having reference to a rack of the shape of FIGURE 1. FIGURE 6 shows the material 75 to be stretched in slack condition before the tubular member 44 has been rotated by the crank 57. FIGURE 7 shows the material 75 in taut or stretched condition after the tubular member 44 has been rotated by the crank 57. As will be observed, the pins, as designated at 71 in FIGURES 6 and 7 have been rotated to stretch and draw the material taut. It will be observed that while this is being done the material is being held along the side edges by the plugs and pins 71 in the tubular members 16 and 18. As the material is stretched, the plugs 70 are free to slide in the tubes 16 and 18 so that they and the pins 71 accommodate themselves to the stretching of the material so as to prevent any wrinkling, buckling or binding along the edges of the material. It is stretched smoothly, evenly and tautly so that the desired result is achieved most effectively.

Stretching in the transverse direction is accomplished in a similar manner by rotating the tubular member 16 by the crank 57. When this is done the plugs and pins 71' in the end tubular members 42 and 44 slide similarly in order to accommodate the position of the holding means to the stretch of the material. Stretching may be done simultaneously in both directions, if desired. As may be observed, the particular means for holding the material while it is being stretched are such that there is no wrinkling, buckling or binding of the material so that a smooth, even, uniform and taut stretch is realized in both directions very effectively. The amount of stretch is determined by the amount of rotation imparted to the tubular members 16 and 44 and they may be held in any rotated position as described above by the means as described above. That is, illustratively, the pawl 50-51 is engaged with a tooth of the cog or gear wheel 54 to hold the tubular member from rotating and may be released by hand. By way of example, the cog or gear wheel 54 may have 16 teeth.

From the foregoing, those skilled in the art will observe that the invention as described herein achieves and realizes all of the objects and advantages as enumerated in the foregoing as well as having many additional advantages which are apparent from the detailed description. The invention is of very simple, rugged and economical construction although it is extremely elfective for its purpose. It is capable of making possible the stretching of many different types of material very uniformly and evenly and to a desired degree of tension without wrinkling, buckling or binding, but on the other hand with a smooth, even, uniform stretch. The material may be held in any desired condition of stretch in the manner described.

The foregoing disclosure is representative of a preferred form of the invention and is to be interpreted in an illustrative rather than a limiting sense, the invention to be accorded the full scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. A stretching rack for stretching materials in directions transverse to each other comprising a frame having sides and ends, means adjacent to but spaced from the sides for holding the material to be stretched at a plurality of points, means adjacent to but spaced from the ends for holding the material to be stretched at a plurality of points, means whereby the said holding means adjacent one side only may be operated to stretch the material between the sides, means whereby said holding means adjacent one end only may be operated to stretch the material between the ends, said holding means adjacent the sides and ends of the frame comprising spaced holding elements securable to the material to be stretched at the said spaced points, and means whereby each of the holding elements is individually free to move in a direction along the sides and ends respectively to accommodate the stretching of the material comprising tubular members having sliding means therein which are guided in the tubular means, each of said sliding members carrying one of said holding elements.

2. A device as in claim 1 wherein the said frame is rectangular having four corners and including an integral bracket mounted in each corner, said brackets having the tubular means journaled therein.

3. A device as in claim 1 wherein each of said tubular means has a slot in it, said sliding members being in the form of plugs slidable in the tubular means, and said holding elements comprising holding pins extending from said said sliding members outwardly through the said slots.

4. A device as in claim 1 including means for rotating one of said tubular means along the sides, and one along the ends about its axis, whereby to exert a stretching elfect on the materials to be stretched.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 555,278 2/1896 Arbogast et a1. 38-1025 807,891 12/1905 Weathers 24267.1 1,546,400 7/ 1925 Nichols 38-102.5 2,309,076 1/1943 Morando 38l02.8

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Examiner, 

1. A STRETCHING RACK FOR STRETCHING MATERIALS IN DIRECTIONS TRANSVERSE TO EACH OTHER COMPRISING A FRAME HAVING SIDES AND ENDS, MEANS ADJACENT TO BUT SPACED FROM THE SIDES FOR HOLDING THE MATERIAL TO BE STRETCHED AT A PLURALITY OF POINTS, MEANS ADJACENT TO BUT SPACED FROM THE ENDS FOR HOLDING THE MATERIAL TO BE STRETCHED AT A PLURALITY OF POINTS, MEANS WHEREBY THE SAID HOLDING MEANS ADJACENT ONE SIDE ONLY MAY BE OPERATED TO STRETCH THE MATERIAL BETWEEN THE SIDES, MEANS WHEREBY SAID HOLDING MEANS ADJACENT ONE END ONLY MAY BE OPERATED TO STRETCH THE MATERIAL BETWEEN ENDS,. SAID HOLDING MEANS ADJACENT THE SIDES AND ENDS OF THE FRAME COMPRISING SPACED HOLDING ELEMENTS SECURABLE TO THE MATERIAL TO BE STRETCHED AT THE SAID SPACED POINTS, AND MEANS WHEREBY EACH OF THE HOLDING ELEMENTS IS INDIVIDUALLY FREE TO MOVE IN A DIRECTION ALONG THE SIDES AND ENDS RESPECTIVELY TO ACCOMMODATE THE STRETCHING OF THE MATERIAL COMPRISING TUBULAR MEMBERS HAVING SLIDING MEANS THEREIN WHICH ARE GUIDED IN THE TUBULAR MEANS, EACH OF SAID SLIDING MEMBERS CARRYING ONE OF SAID HOLDING ELEMENTS. 